Why the manhunt for WA triple-murder suspect Travis Decker is complicated
Memorial grows as manhunt for Travis Decker intensifies
The memorial for three young girls who were murdered in Chelan County grows as the manhunt for their father, Travis Decker, stretches into day 5.
CHELAN COUNTY, Wash. - As the manhunt for Washington triple-murder suspect Travis Decker stretches into day 5, authorities are shedding light on how the search is going.
Travis Decker, 32, is wanted in the murders of his three young daughters, who were found dead at a Wenatchee campground on Monday. Decker allegedly killed the girls, ages 5, 8 and 9, after picking them up for a visitation on Friday, May 30.
The bodies of the missing girls were located by SWAT at the Rock Island Campground in Leavenworth, believed to have died from asphyxiation. Now, Washington authorities are executing an extensive search throughout the area, saying Decker could be hiding anywhere.
New doorbell video shows Travis Decker, wanted in murder of 3 daughters in WA
Authorities stress his wilderness survival skills as the manhunt intensifies, offering a $20,000 reward.
What's complicating the search
What we know:
Decker is known to be a survivalist, capable of surviving off the grid for months. Decker is a former military member with extensive training, and Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison said "he could have scoped out [the] area before, put supplies out there, and has the ability and the knowledge to survive for a long period of time."
On Wednesday, Sheriff Morrison said they spotted a shirt in Icicle Creek, near the campground where the girls were found dead. U.S. Marshals and helicopters are assisting in the search, and a swift water rescue team was also brought in to comb through the creek, which stretches eight miles long. Leads in the case are continuously being tracked down, as Travis had about a three-day head start.
The sheriff's office has mapped out a general area of where Decker might be, adding that teams are being deployed to different sites he was known to frequent in the area.
A number of trails, roads and campgrounds have been shut down as law enforcement and search crews work to navigate the terrain.
Authorities are now asking owners of cabins and residents in remote areas of Chelan, Kittitas, King, Snohomish, and Okanogan counties to secure their properties by locking all doors, including sheds and outbuildings, and leaving window blinds open and outside lights on.
Travis Decker manhunt: 'Remote' areas of 5 WA counties told to lock doors
Authorities are asking owners of cabins and residents in remote areas of five Washington counties to secure their properties by locking all doors as the manhunt for triple murder suspect Travis Decker continues.
Decker is described as 5 feet 8 inches tall, 190 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes, last seen wearing a light-colored shirt and dark shorts. He is considered dangerous, but it's unknown if he is armed.
If you have seen or believed to have seen Travis Decker, you are asked to call 911 immediately and do not approach him. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is urged to call the Chelan County Sheriff's Office tip line at 509-667-6845 or submit a tip online. Authorities are offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading to his arrest.
WA authorities hold press conference in search for triple-murder suspect
Authorities in Washington are holding a press conference as the manhunt intensifies for Travis Decker, the man suspected of killing his 3 daughters at a Leavenworth campsite.
The Source: Information in this story is from the Chelan County Sheriff's Office and FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
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